Pope: Teachings are nonnegotiable

Pope Benedict XVI has reaffirmed church teachings on divorce and priestly celibacy, and told Catholic politicians they must follow church doctrine on abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage.

The pope based his letter to Catholic bishops, released March 13, on discussions held during the 2005 Synod of Bishops that studied the Eucharist in Catholic belief and practice.

In a section of the letter that dealt with “Eucharistic consistency,” Benedict said, “Catholic politicians and legislators” are bound to “introduce and support laws inspired by values grounded in human nature,” including “respect for human life, its defense from conception to natural death, [and] the family built upon marriage between a man and a woman.” “These values,” Benedict wrote, “are not negotiable.”